BILL ANALYSIS Ó
ACR 20
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
ACR 20 (Logue and Perea)
As Introduced February 20, 2013
Majority vote
HIGHER EDUCATION 12-0
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|Ayes:|Williams, Chávez, Bloom, | | |
| |Fong, Fox, Jones-Sawyer, | | |
| |Levine, Linder, Medina, | | |
| |Quirk-Silva, Weber, Wilk | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Recognizes the need for the inclusion of Sikhism in
world religions, Eastern religions, Asian, and South Asian
courses at all postsecondary educational institutions.
Specifically, this resolution :
1)Makes numerous declarations and findings, including the
following:
a) Guru Nanak (1469-1539) is the founder of Sikhism;
b) Sikhism originates from Northwestern India and is not a
branch of any other religion;
c) Sikhs live in most countries and have Gurdwaras (place
of worship) in 65 countries, including nine in the greater
Sacramento region alone;
d) Approximately 750,000 Sikhs live in the United States;
one-third of the Sikh population, approximately 250,000,
live in California;
e) Sikhs wear turbans and as such are conspicuous and easy
to spot; and,
f) Sikhs have suffered from a disproportionately high
number of hate crimes post September 11, 2001, attacks.
2)Recognizes that the Sikh faith is the fifth largest world
religion after Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
ACR 20
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3)Recognizes that the Sikh faith is the third largest
monotheism, after Christianity and Islam.
4)Recognizes that Sikhism is not included in world religion
courses at most postsecondary educational institutions.
5)Requests the Legislature to recognize the need for the
inclusion of Sikhism in world religions, Eastern religions,
Asian, and South Asian courses at all postsecondary
educational institutions, including the University of
California (UC), the California State University (CSU), and
the California Community Colleges (CCC) systems.
6)Requests the Legislature to recommend to the governing bodies
of the UC, CSU, and CCC that they consider including Sikhism
in their institutions' world religions, Eastern religions,
Asian, and South Asian courses.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This resolution is keyed non-fiscal by
the Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : Post September 11, 2001, attacks (9/11), members of
the Sikh community have suffered numerous instances of
discrimination and religious attacks. According to the Sikh
Coalition (Coalition), which promotes the rights of Sikhs in the
United States, around 700 cases of violence and discrimination
against Sikhs have been reported since 9/11. On August 5, 2012,
several Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin were killed after their
gurdwara was attacked. On April 11, 2011, two Sikhs were killed
in Elk Grove, California as they went for an afternoon walk. A
2010 survey by the Coalition revealed that 69% of turban-wearing
Sikh students living in the San Francisco area say they have
been bullied because of the way they look.
Due to academic freedom, faculty of the UC, CSU, and CCC have
autonomy in the selection of instructional materials used to
teach their individual courses. According to the Sacramento
Region of Sikhs, there are approximately 24 million Sikhs
worldwide; Sikhism is the third largest monotheism. However,
most UC, CSU, and CCC world religion courses do not include
Sikhism. If the UC, CSU, and CCC consider including Sikhism in
their world religion courses, it will aid in educating more
Californians about the culture, practices and traditions of the
Sikhs.
ACR 20
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Related legislation: ACR 25 (Wieckowski) designates November
2013 as Sikh American Awareness and Appreciation Month. This
measure is awaiting action by the Legislature. ACR 97
(Perea), Resolution Chapter 60, Statutes of 2012, designated
November 2012 as California Sikh American Awareness and
Appreciation Month and recognized the contributions made by
Californians of Sikh heritage. SCR 104 (Wolk), Resolution
Chapter 122, Statutes of 2012, recognized October 13, 2012, as
the 100-year anniversary of the Sikh American community, and
called upon the people of California to commemorate the day with
appropriate celebrations. AB 504 (Furutani) of 2009, required
the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to create
and make available to all law enforcement agencies a training
component on how to recognize and interact with Sikhs carrying a
kirpan (a religious article resembling a sword, which is
integral to the practice of the Sikh faith. The kirpan is
carried in a shoulder strap, as mandated by the Sikh Code of
Conduct). This measure was vetoed by the Governor.
Analysis Prepared by : Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960
FN: 0000039